1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to integrated circuits, and more particularly, clocked storage circuits used within integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Clocked storage devices are widely used in integrated circuits (ICs). Flip-flops are one commonly used type of clocked storage circuit. A flip-flop is an edge-triggered storage circuit, i.e. changes to the output data occur responsive to a clock edge (e.g., a rising edge of a clock signal). Flip-flops come in a wide variety, including the J-K flip-flop, the S-R flip-flop, and the toggle flip-flop. The D flip-flop, in which the output follows an input D is one of the most commonly used flip flips in integrated circuits.
Flip-flops, along with many other clocked circuits, can be further divided into static circuits and dynamic circuits. Dynamic circuits may include one or more nodes that is precharged (or pre-discharged) to a particular voltage level during a first phase of a clock cycle. During a second cycle (referred to as the evaluation cycle), the circuit may respond to the input data, which include switching the output data. Operation of a static circuit does not include any precharging. The output may switch at a clock edge responsive to a change in the input data. The output data may be held at its most recent state until at least the next clock cycle, switching if the input data switches state.